Action & IMPACT is a multi-town event bringing together artists, art advocates, cultural organizations, and local businesses to participate in a morning of grassroots activism and education supporting the importance of arts and arts education in our culture.

After it was announced that the proposed federal and state budgets would cut an array of domestic programs -- which include funding for local art, music, theater and cultural groups as well as arts education programs – the Franklin Cultural Council decided to take initiative not only to raise awareness, but to give local organizations and residents an opportunity to network while also advocating for this important issue.

The event will provide participants with an overview of how to advocate with state and federal legislators, how to leverage their own PR marketing, how to engage their local community through social media, how to lobby for funding, and how to create corporate partnerships.

“We at the Franklin Cultural Council have been very concerned with the threat to arts funding, both at the federal and state level, and the message that sends to members of the community,” says FCC Chairman Stacey David. “It implies that the arts and arts education aren’t really important. President Trump has proposed cutting the entire National Endowment for the Arts, based on his promises to reduce the federal debt and on his thinking that the programs funded by the NEA only matter to the wealthy elite. However, the NEA represents only 0.025 percent of the federal budget — clearly not enough to have any true effect on our debt, yet enough to have substantial impact on the culture of our country. Much of the NEA funding gets divided up amongst the state Cultural Councils, who in turn hand it down to the local level.”

David goes on to note, “The bulk of the grants the Local Cultural Councils award each year are possible thanks to NEA funding, combined with additional state funding. The State Ways and Means Committee has also proposed cutting arts funding for the coming year by 28 percent. The grants the Franklin Cultural Council awards aren’t for big ‘elitist’ projects, but are to fund field trips for our school children, Concerts on the Common, performances at the schools and Senior Center, the Harvest Stroll, the Cultural Festival and other small, local programs. These programs and events will touch 26,770 members of our community, which is impressive considering Franklin only has a population of approximately 31,000.”

David said the FCC decided to organize the advocacy day "to give members of area arts and cultural organizations the tools they need to advocate for change. We are delighted to be partnering with a variety of organizations and other Cultural Councils in over a dozen towns to bring this event about."

“Our hope is that both concerned citizens and members of these various organizations will come together to show our legislators that the arts really are a fundamental part of our lives. They help define our humanity and bring beauty to our world. They are worth fighting for," David says.

Action & IMPACT is a free program of the Franklin Cultural Council, with additional support from the Norfolk Cultural Council, Cultural Alliance of Medfield, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and MASSCreative.

The agenda includes:

8:15-9 a.m.: Registration, breakfast & networking

9-9:15 a.m.: Welcome address

9:15-9:30 a.m.: Why Advocate? ... the economic and cultural impact of the arts and what advocacy can achieve